Zercon atypicus UJVÁRI et CĂLUGĂR, 2010

Ujvári, Zs. & Cälugär, A, 2010, New Zerconid Mite Species (Acari: Mesostigmata: Zerconidae) From Romania, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 56 (3), pp. 235-255 : 238-241

Zercon atypicus UJVÁRI et CĂLUGĂR sp. n.

( Figs 3–4 )

Type material. Female holotype and 5 female paratypes: Romania, Ţarcu Mts , Poiana

Mărului, beech forest, N45°23,362’, E22°34,475’, 890 m a.s.l., from leaf litter, 02.11.2007, leg. CS .

CSUZDI, J. KONTSCHÁN and V. POP. Two female paratypes: Romania, Ţarcu Mts , Poiana Mărului, beech forest, N45°23,362’, E22°34,475’, 890 m. a.s.l., from lichen, 02.11.2007, leg . CS. CSUZDI, J. KONTSCHÁN and V. POP. The type material is deposited in the HNHM.

Diagnosis. Anterior margin of ventroanal shield with one pair of setae. On podonotum, setae i1 serrated, marginal r-setae very finely barbed distally. Most of opisthonotal setae short, pairs I6, Z4 and S4 pairs elongated, distally barbed, with hyaline endings. Setae Z3 with an unusual position, situated on the line connecting the bases of setae I3 and Z4. Among the short setae, I3–5 and Z3 with very fine pilosity, other setae smooth. Marginal R-setae finely barbed distally, longer than short members of the I-, Z- and S setal-rows. Pores Po3 situated below the line connecting the bases of setae I5 and Z4, near Z4. Dorsal cavities of general size and appearance, ornamentation of opisthonotum anteriorly tile-like, posteriorly smooth.

Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 473 µm in holotype (455–485 µm in 8 paratypes; mean 470 µm); width of idiosoma 375 µm (370–380 µm; 375 µm).

Dorsal side ( Fig. 3 ). Podonotum with 21 pairs of setae: i-row with 6 pairs, z-row with 2 pairs, s-row with 5 pairs, r-row with 6 pairs, p-row with 2 pairs. Setae s1 absent. Setae i1 rarely serrated, marginal r-setae distally barbed, other podonotal setae short (14–26 µm) and smooth. Podonotal shield covered by irregular, tile-like pattern.

Opisthonotum with 22 pairs of setae: I-row with 6 pairs, Z-row with 5 pairs, S-row with 4 pairs and R-row with 7 pairs. Setae I1–5 short, I1–2 smooth and needle-like, I3–5 finely serrated. Setae I6 elongated, thickened, apically barbed and pointed, distance between their bases 128 µm. Setae Z1–3 short, Z1–2 similar in shape and length to I1–2, Z3 similarly to I3–5 finely serrated. Setae Z3 have extraordinary position between regular I- and Z-setal series, situated on line connecting bases of setae I3 and Z4. Setae Z4 elongated, thickened, apically barbed, but differing from setae I6 by pronounced apical hyaline sheaths. Setae Z5 smooth, setiform. Setae S1–3 similar in shape and length to I1–2, setae S4 similar to I6. Marginal setae twice longer than short opisthonotal setae, fine apical serration can be observed on their distal half, principally on anterior ones. Not any of opisthonotal setae reaching bases of following one within the series. Lengths of setae and distances between setal bases as in Table 2. Marginal serration of dorsal idiosoma shallow and obtuse. Tile-like pattern can be found on anterior part of opisthonotum (expanding postero-laterally), medial and posterior parts without ornamentation. Dorsal cavities of general size and appearance, uniform, saddle-like, with smooth anterior margin and with axes parallel to that of the body.

Poroidotaxy. Pores po1 lying below line connecting bases of setae i2 and s2, po2 below line connecting i4 and s4, po3 below line connecting z1 and s5. Pores Po1 situated antero-laterally to Z1, Po2 lying on (or just above) line connecting Z2 and S3, Po3 below line connecting I5 and Z4, Po4 on line connecting Z5 and S4, behind S4.

Ventral side ( Fig. 4 ). Chaetotaxy, poroidotaxy and shape of ventral shields typical for genus Zercon . Peritremal shields with shallow fissures as ornamentation. Peritremes bifurcate and curved. Sternal shield well sclerotized, 82 µm long and 80 µm wide at level of setae st2, with slightly arcuate posterior margin and reticulate ornamentation. Large adgenital plates with four gland-openings of gv2. Ventroanal shield covered by tile-like pattern, anterior margin of it with one pair of setae. Seven pairs of preanal setae short, smooth and needle-like, postanal setae prolonged, smooth. Ventroanal pores gv3 situated posterolaterally to adanal setae.

Male and immature stages. Unknown.

Etymology. The epithet “atypicus ” refers to the unusual position of setae Z3.

Differential diagnosis. The new species belongs to the group having short I-setae and is most similar to Zercon curiosus TRÄGÅRDH, 1910 described from Lappland and to Zercon dampfi SELLNICK, 1944 described from Germany by having only 3 pairs of elongated opisthonotal setae (I6, Z4 and S4). Zercon atypicus sp. n. can be distinguished from latter two species according to Table 3.

Figures

Figs 3–4. Zercon atypicus sp. n., female: 3 = dorsal view, 4 = ventral view